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Sleep

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Original poster

5 month old DS wakes 5-15 times every night

26 replies

vtiredmummy · 16/04/2007 16:29

Please help me!
My gorgeous bright DS has never slept through, and has always been a difficult sleeper, but in the past month it has got me to the end of my tether. He wakes between 5-15 times between 7pm and 7am (I have written it down!) screaming and screaming. We feed him one 7oz bottle in the middle of the night which he takes well, but wakes up loads either side of it. My DH is wonderful and I don't know what I'd do without him, but he is now going to work like a zombie! We have tried so many things: CC - he just cries louder until he sort of hyperventilates, PUPD - as soon as his head hits the mattress he screams, putting him in a cooler tog sleeping bag (he has v bad eczema so his skin itches), leaving quiet music playing, leaving a dim light on...The only way he goes to sleep for any decent amount of time is when we take him to bed with us. I know it isn't the best idea but at 3am after a couple of hours of crying it seems justifiable! We've kept a sleep diary and there is no pattern to his night waking. The GP and HV both sympathise but neither have come up with a solution. We are a family at our wits end, please help us! :-(

OP posts:

midnightexpress · 16/04/2007 19:19

That sounds really tough for you . Is co-sleeping really such a bad option for you - if it works, it may be worth just sticking with that for a while? It worked with my (younger than yours) ds2 when he was tiny and at the moment I'm lying down with him to get him down for his daytime naps.

Swizzler · 16/04/2007 19:27

Coud you try feeding more at night? DS has never been a good sleeper either, but I usually feed him at least 3 times in the night. Or you could try increasing his feeds during the day.

coleyboy · 16/04/2007 19:31

We had a sleep problem with ds until he was 7 months. He would go down at 7pm, but between 7pm-10pm we would be up and down the stairs to his nursery.
The problem wasn't getting him to sleep, it was getting him to stay asleep. After 10pm, he was a dream and slept through, and during the day he would nap 3-4 times a day.
When he was 7 months we decided enough was enough. We knew he was fed and that he was well, so we done cc for one night and it worked straightaway.

But, and it's a very big but. I wouldn't have tried cc'ing before this time as I didn't feel happy leaving him to cry. So what I think I'm trying to say is, maybe it is something they grow out of? Maybe they don't need mum around so much to feel secure?

Sorry, I know this isn't a solution. But maybe it will help if you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel?

moopymoo · 16/04/2007 19:31

Do you change him when he wakes? may souund obvious but my ds2 had eczema and any urine at all irritated him and woke him up. And they can we a lot little and often took us about a year to figure this out...zzzzzz ill never make the sleep up! hth

moopymoo · 16/04/2007 19:33

thats 'wee' not 'we' see still tired. and they do all sleep eventually. not much comfort i know

Original poster

vtiredmummy · 17/04/2007 08:18

Thank u all for advice. We had a 'medium' night last night - he woke at 7.40, 7.50, 9.00, 10.05 (feed), 4.25, and 5.40 (at which point we gave up and took him into our bed). We do change his nappy in the night, to try and keep him comfortable. I think we have a similar problem to coleyboy - DS will go off to sleep after about 5-10 mins each time. It is just that he wakes again an hour later! The HV told me under no circumstances should I feed him more at night, and I've tried increasing the day feeds (he takes 7oz 5 times in 24 hrs) but he always leaves the last 1oz, and only finishes 1 or 2 bottles each day. Maybe we will just have to stick to co-sleeping for the time being.

Does anyone have experience of 'sleep clinics'? Do they work? Is it worth talking to my GP/HV about taking DS?

OP posts:

Tamdin · 17/04/2007 08:27

sympathis VTM. ds is nearly 15m and only started sleeping recently (still wakes once). co-sleeping might be a good option for you if he sleeps and is not a 'bad' option plenty of people do it very successfully. there's alot of us on Sleep is for the weak thread that have been together for a long time (so long some of the lo's are now sleeping but we don't want to leave each other ) anyway... please join in for support if you need it
will bump thread so you can find it x

amijee · 17/04/2007 10:08

few suggestions...

is he tired enough at 7pm? the frequent wakings until around 10pm suggest he may not be. What is he doung in the day? Have you thought about a slightly later bed time?

If itching is a big problem, ask your gp about some piriton to help with that. ( strictly speaking it's for over a year but if it's a big issue may be worth a try)

it will improve - 5 mths is a bad time for sleep - try co sleeping to get some more sleep

gingerninja · 17/04/2007 11:33

VTM, as Tamdin said, join us on Sleep is for the Weak. My DD is 7 months and between 4 and 5 months (or there abouts) was doing exactly the same. She still doesn't sleep but it's more manageable somehow (maybe 1-3 wakings on average) we co-sleep most nights because I came to the conclussion it was the only way we'd get any sleep.

peacemama · 17/04/2007 12:00

I agree, why not co-sleep if it works for you and it means you all sleep better
I do with my 4 1/2 mo and its lovely.

tibsy · 17/04/2007 16:22

hi vtm, another vote for co sleeping and SIFTW thread too.
we have recently moved from co sleeping full time to dd starting off the night in her cot, then coming in with us, so if you're worried about having lo in with you indefinitely, dont be
hope things improve for you, its a nightmare with limited sleep isnt it? i've just been to bed with dd for a nap. dont know if you're able to do that, but would definitely recommend it

Original poster

vtiredmummy · 17/04/2007 17:32

Thank u for advice.

Just back from HV and GP. HV annoyed me saying I should let him cry for longer than ten mins despite the fact he gets so loud and upset that he is in a complete state, and starts hyperventilating. I just can't bring myself to do it. GP suggested Medised as it has a mild antihisthamine, but not as strong as Piriton, but she is open to idea of Piriton as a last resort.

In answer to amijee, have tried extending his bedtime but he just gets v v grumpy and cries constantly. We always go out and about during the day, although I must say his daytime naps are never quality sleep when he's in pushchair or car seat. Ironically he sleeps like an angel in his cot during the day!

Hubby has gone off for an overnight meeting 2nite, so if DS is being stroppy it'll be co-sleeping for DS and me!

OP posts:

saltire · 17/04/2007 17:41

From my own experiences ( and my 2 are 9 and 7 now, so a bit dimmed), we put Ds2 to bed a bit later, about 8.30 at that age, and he slept better - was still waking, but not as much. We didn't co-sleep because
A) DH fidgets so much and B) We did try it and DS2 was the only one who slept.
We had a visit to a sleep clinic when DS2 was about 3/4. It worked for us, but I do know some people don't like them, or have ha dbad experiences. I know it sounds obvious, but is it wind/colic? DS1 used to go on like you describe when he had bad wind

gingerninja · 17/04/2007 21:22

Hi again vtm, don't do anything you're not comfortable with. I felt very pressured to leave my DD to cry and my HV even suggested it. I did it once or twice for 4 or 5 mins in the early days and hated every single painful second of it. I then made a decision not to let other people dictate how I did things. I still regret doing it which is a bit stupid because DD won't remember but I think I regret more that I felt pressured into doing something that I didn't want to do. I didn't have the support of mumsnet then so was fumbling along blindly. Anyway, my advice is, do what you're happy with and you'll find support here for whatever approach you decide to take.

Have you looked into the causes of his eczema? The allergy board is full of good advice. Also, my DD was prescribed piriton at about 4 months for hers. We were told to use 2.5mls before bed and yes it does knock them out (although my DD would wake herself from the deepest slumber to ensure I get a broken night) If he's finding it really itchy then it might be kinder to let him have some for a couple of nights to get on top of the eczema. Has he been prescribed all the potions and lotions for it?

Also, my DD is still waking up lots at 7 months and there isn't any rhyme or reason for it. I've come to the conclussion that some babies are better sleepers than others. Doesn't help us exhausted parents but my constant search for a solution just stresses me out about it all. Glad you're getting the support of your DH tho.
Hope you have a better night tonight.

gingerninja · 17/04/2007 21:24

Sorry, forgot to mention. Have you tried offering more milk? If you're only feeding once in the night maybe he's hungry. My DD still sometimes feeds twice in the night.

Mummy2TandF · 17/04/2007 21:33

At the risk of having the Mn police onto me - have you tried weaning him?
My dd is nearly 6 months now and 2 weeks ago she bagan refusing her bottles during the day and waking every hour through the night, she would go off to sleep well but be awake within the hour. I was confused but decided that for one day I would try some food (as well as her 4 8oz bottles) - she took it really well and believe it or not she didn't wake up that night and hasn't since I am not saying that this would work for everybody but I truly believe that she was ready - maybe your ds would be more settled on this - how much does he weigh?

llareggub · 17/04/2007 21:37

Oh, your post so could easily be mine, vtiredmummy!

My DS is also five months old and wakes up frequently during the night. Last night was every hour or so between midnight and 6.30ish. As I type this at 21.45 he is still awake, shattered and grumpy. He is really struggling with his teeth

He usually ends up in the bed with us. We have moved the bed so it is against the wall so that he can sleep in the middle and we can have a little more room either side. He sleeps quite happily on top of the duvet. We on the other hand get very light sleep as a result.

Still, I'm sure it will come to an end at some point. And to think I was so smug a few months ago when he slept through for a couple of weeks!

gingerninja · 17/04/2007 21:42

MTTANDF, Weaning hasn't made a jot of difference to my DD. I held out in the hope it would but alas, 3 square meals and enough milk to cover all our cornflakes and I'm still getting up and down.

Tamdin · 17/04/2007 21:46

hi ginger. hope you get some sleep tonight. big hug x vtm you know where we are

PeachesMcLean · 17/04/2007 21:48

Hi Vtiredmummy, I haven't read all this thread and don't normally post in Sleep, but what you said about daytime naps struck a chord with me. I don't know how you feel about routine during the day - it can feel very limiting - but i found that once I'd got the daytime sleep sorted, it helped with the nighttime - and bizarrely better sleep during the day increased the amount he would sleep at night. It's like they sometimes need to learn to sleep - it doesn't come as naturally as you might expect. And at this age, I don't think they stay awake for much more than an hour and a half, so in my case, we'd be up around 7am, back to bed for an hour at 9am, then sleep again at around noon for a couple of hours and an afternoon nap at around 4ish. He did start sleeping better in the evening when we had this cracked. And believe me, we'd had some grim evenings until then! I do feel for you and hope you get something which works for you soon.

jollyfolly · 17/04/2007 21:48

ds now 2yrs was very similar..... although he did all that even though he was co sleeping with me. Controlled crying worked for a while (although we did not try it until he was about 13 months) but was a dreadful experience to go through and was not fool proof! I dont know really that i have any advice other than my sympathies as i really know how hard it can be. If it is any consolation at about 18 months ds just suddenly for no obvious reason seemed to crack it and started sleeping really well..... well only waking once a night and sleeping until six thirty.... so there is aome light at the end of the tunnel although if anyone told me when ds was 5 months that i still had another year of sleepless nights to go i think i would have cracked up ..... so probably this has not been much help to you at all!
Hope you get it sorted soon!!!

Original poster

vtiredmummy · 18/04/2007 09:02

Thank u all again for advice.

Well I had a bit of a result last night...
Gave him some Medised as per GP's instructions. He slept from 7pm til 11.15pm. I gave him a 7oz bottle and changed his nappy, put him down and he woke again...at 6.45am!!! Admittedly I woke about six times in the night confused as to why he hadn't woken up

Whilst I have no doubt that this is likely to be a freak bit of good luck whilst DH was away, it was a welcome relief. I am definitely coming round to the idea that antihisthamines must help with the itching. Poor DS tries to itch his body all day, so I'm thinking it is probably even worse at night for him with no distractions.

Weaning...was told to steer clear until 6 mths cos of the eczema, as it could introduce more allergies. That scares me! Does anyone with children with v bad eczema have any proof of this either way?

OP posts:

munz · 18/04/2007 09:07

just a thought (and i'll prob get shouted down for this) but have you considered if you have the room to sleep on the floor in his room? (i saw it on the baby wisperer once) dad slept on the floor and it really help the baby to settle/ I suppose not feel as alone. iycwim. maybe he like's you being close by?

failing that if you don't want to wean could he have more milk/hungry baby milk (althou not sure if you have a special one)? or offer water when he wakes up might just be a bit thirsty?

Lazycow · 18/04/2007 09:28

Vtiredmummy

I had pretty much the same to say as PeachesMclean

It was a bit limimiting at first having a regular routing and ALWAYS being home for ds's naps but ds went from waking 4-5 times a night (some of the wakeups lasting hours) to waking once for a short feed and back to sleep within 2 weeks.

Lazycow · 18/04/2007 09:30

I started the whole routine thing when ds was 6 months old. Until then I'd just let ds sleep as and when he could when we were out and about. The problem was he wasn't getting enough regular rest during the day and this was affecting his night sleep.

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